


Infinite

by Aikatsu



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 23:01:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8346238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikatsu/pseuds/Aikatsu
Summary: The news comes late one night.  No one knows what to do and two kids ponder what this means on their universe. Is it out of their control or something they can create? Perhaps, the most important thing of all is they have each other.





	

The news had come in late on the evening of the twenty-first. The Matthews had gotten the call first from Alan and Amy. Riley woke up to the sounds of hurried talking between her parents and had drowsily went out to them calling a few of their old classmates. That’s how word got to the Minkus’, as Topanga called Stuart to let him know what was going on. Their house being large enough, Farkle wouldn’t hear until morning when he notices a worried string of texts from Riley.

She doesn’t have any details either, however, as her parents told her to go to bed. The next morning Topanga left a quick toaster pastry breakfast and Cory was already gone to sort things out at school. Her mother takes a moment to break the news to her and Auggie they’d be heading off to Philedalphia with the Minkus’ in just a few hours.

Riley had to stop at mid-bite in that proclamation but Auggie asks why first. All Topanga can do is let out a worried sigh before answering: Feeny had a heart attack and was now in the ICU. Riley finds she can’t comprehend those words and is lost in a flurry of her mother’s plans and telling them to pack for a few days. They’re leaving and won’t be back until after Thanksgiving, staying there since they’d already be there. Alan and Amy have agreed to let them stay over and they were riding with the Minkus (they Matthews emergency funds having to be used for rent on Topanga’s the last few months and Stuart having offered).

She finds she still doesn’t understand what’s going on as her mother gently goads her to get up and pack. Auggie’s asking her mother a million questions and she can tell her mother is just short of freaking out. It becomes more real in that moment as Riley goes into big sister autopilot mode and offers to help Auggie herself. It’s thirty minutes later and an argument–followed by a heartfelt hug– with Auggie later that finds her at the bay window. She realizes she still hasn’t packed her own bags when she hears a knock at her window

Riley turns quickly expecting Maya, but in a fluid motion Farkle’s pulling up the window and sliding on in. She notes he’s dressed kind of hurriedly and wonders if he’s as dazed as she feels. She knew it was weird, but even knowing Feeny the little she did personally he seemed like such a big part of her life. It had to be the same for Farkle, too, right?

“Hi,” Farkle finally broke in.

“Hi,” Riley repeated, trying for a small, sunshiny smile, “is your dad here already?”

Farkle shakes his head and glances away, hands raking against his knees. “Just me. Mom and dad… Couldn’t really agree what to do. They were still talking when I left,” Farkle mentioned. She knew without asking that “talking” took on a whole different meaning and her hand rose to take his into her own.

He seems to have plans of his own as a moment later he’s sliding closer to her and wrapping an arm around her. Instantly her head fell on his shoulder and she found that the world seemed to stop spinning. “…And, besides, I figured you could use this,” he added in cheekily, Riley rolls her eyes at that and moves to elbow him in the side. But he’s used to that and bounces back on the bay window to put space between them.

She shakes her head before her smile tightens and she tilts her head just slightly at him, “What do you think we should do, Farkle? It’s kind of weird. I barely know him, but it’s really upsetting anyway.”

“You do know him,” Farkle’s answer comes immediately and she opens her mouth to retort but he barrels on, “we’ve heard all of the stories. Our parents have had him for a teacher for like a decade, but it’s not only that. We see him everyday in your dad’s teaching. He’s in class with us every day, too. So of course it’d be upsetting.”

“I–I guess so.”

Farkle frowns, turning away to bite his lip before continuing, “When dad goes down to Philadelphia and I go with him, he always goes to pay him a visit. I don’t always go, so it’s not like he lives next to my grandparents or something– But the times I’ve met him he always takes time to ask me questions and see how I’m doing. Even when I go on about antimatter he listens and he just acts proud… Like a proud teacher of a student, kind of like your dad when we do something right. It’s weird thinking that I possibly took that for granted, I want to be able to say thank you.”

Halfway through his speech Riley’s smile faltered and she finds her head leaning against Farkle’s shoulder once more. “…He does that to everyone, huh?” She says with a laugh, “I’m really glad there’s teachers like him out there.

Farkle smiled in turn at that, “And he gave us a teacher like your dad. We owe him a lot.”

Riley found she smiled more easily at that. She moves to brush back her hair and respond when there was knock on her door. Both kids jumped slightly as it swung open to show a smiling Stuart Minkus. He looked just as prim as usual, but somehow the smile looked as if it lost it’s luster.

“Ah, I knew you two would be in here,” Stuart remarked with assurance, “are you two kids ready to go?”

‘Go’ Riley began to mouth when she suddenly realized she hadn’t packed. She hurriedly goes to get up and do just that but in her fast motions finds her face quickly hitting the floor. In spite of the somber air Farkle can’t help but laugh as he gets up and kneels beside her with a free hand.

“Yeah, dad,” he says between half laughs, “we’re ready.”

“You are, but I’m not!”

Farkle shakes his head, “I have stuff of yours at my house, remember? I… kinda figured this would happen, so I packed it up and put it in the car when I put my own bag in. We’re good.” Riley stares at him funnily as she pulls herself up and for a brief moment she wonders just how Farkle Minkus does it. There were times Maya wasn’t able to read her as diligently, but Farkle never ceased to amaze her.

“Thanks, Farkle,” she breathed out and he returned with half a shrug. Once he saw that she was steady on her feet he let go of her hand to make after his dad. Her word seems to spin once more as he does and she desperately clutches back onto it. Farkle turns to her with a worried expression, but Riley shakes her head and tries for her usual smile. She knows it won’t work on him, but she tries. “Can we just stay like this for a while?”

Without missing a beat Farkle entwines his fingers with her, “Yes, of course. However long you want.”

She smiles gratefully and the two kids file out of the room. No one blinks or notices the way Riley holds onto Farkle’s hand like a lifeline. The parents kind of in their own states and, beyond that, it really wasn’t that abnormal. They all settle into the large rental vehicle Stuart had picked out for the occasion– Essentially a travel bus, which Cory tried making a halfhearted joke about ‘what the man couldn’t choose the helicopter?’ But the joke died down quickly and the group fell into various fits of silence.

Farkle and Riley say at the small dining area table. Riley fidgeting with her hands while Farkle brings out a small travel board of a game. She casts it a look, but she’s seen him play it a few times now. She likes to watch as he pours over the tiny board with a pamphlet of a book in his hand. She likes seeing his nose pinch up like he’s trying to figure out the toughest science equation he can. And then he shifts the book out of the way and plays a few moves and breaks into a grin. She finds she can’t help but watch him now as he does so.

“…What exactly is that, anyway, Farkle?” She finally asks after thirty minutes of watching her friend fidget with the pieces.

He looks up at her in surprise, “It’s Go. It’s a board game. They say there’s more possible moves in Go than there are atoms in the universe. There’s infinite possibilities.”

“That’s crazy,” she says in response, eyes widening at the idea.

Farkle shrugs and glances back at the board. “Maybe, but it’s great. I like it because it’s so old. Older than other games, but we can still look at games from five-hundred b.c.. It’s amazing to see how far people have come, but they can still do things like this together,” he mentions, “it’s like anyone can create their own universe on this board.”

He glances at her sheepishly and Riley pauses trying to understand his meaning. “That sounds nice,” she says quietly, “creating your own universe.” She glances down at the pieces and goes to grab one of the black ones. “They kinda look like little stars when you place them down.”

Farkle laughs at that gently prying the piece from her fingers. “Even this universe has rules, though,” he admits, “a god has to abide by some laws. Like the world has to abide by science. We can’t make everything perfectly how we want it, there’s always an opponent opposing us. Telling us we’re not actual gods and forcing us to get stronger.”

She smiles at the sentiment and realizes suddenly why he was playing it now. Farkle was being there for her and his parents, but she realized he was worried. That he feared the little control over his life. It was why he didn’t look at her when he spoke about his parents fighting or called it something else. It was why now he was trying to puzzle this tiny universe out in some hopes of understanding. He was Farkle and he would always search for answers even if he knew the truth.

“Farkle,” she starts abruptly, earning a confused look, “will you pray with me?”

He blinks and stutters out a response, “What, but I–”

She reaches for his hand before shaking her head, “It’s okay, you don’t have to. Just… think really hard. About all those things and your feelings for Feeny. And be thankful. It’s almost Thanksgiving… And I want to believe everything will be all right. If this is the universe we’re helping create I can think that much, right?”

He pauses before softening and glancing away from her bashfully, “…I think, in that case, if it’s just the once… I’ll–I won’t pray, but I’ll believe as hard as I can, too.”

She smiles at that and squeezes his hand, “Good, and then you can teach me all about these infinite moves you have here. Is that how you’re always one step ahead?” Farkle laughs in turn shaking his head, “No, I’m just better than you.”

“Hey!” Riley exclaims as he laughs. Before Farkle realizes it he’s being pushed off the seat and the adults in the travelbus can’t help but look back and smile. Maybe things were stressful and they didn’t know how this was going to turn out. They had so much to be thankful for in their lives and one man to thank them it for, in different ways for all of them. They could only hold onto hope… but there was one thing the kids seemed to realize in that moment.

No matter your beliefs the universe was infinite.


End file.
